#ScienceMustFall

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About

#ScienceMustFall is a hashtag mocking a movement to abolish the scientific method and replace it with a new understanding of scientific inquiry. The movement was started by a group of students known as "Fallists" at the University of Cape Town who want to "decolonize" science from western modernity as an offshoot of the ongoing #FeesMustFall movement protesting increases in university tuition.

Origin

In mid October 2015, students in South Africa launched the #FeesMustFall protest movement demanding a reduction in fees at local universities, which subsided after the South African government revealed there would be no tuition increases the following year. Protests erupted again in 2016 after the it was announced that fee increases would be capped at 8% for the following year, with each university deciding if an increase was necessary. On October 13th, 2016, YouTuber UCT Scientist uploaded a video in which several students from the University of Cape Town sit before the University's science faculty arguing that "science must fall," claiming that science was Eurocentric and oppressive to Africans since it was handed down by White scientists.

“There is a place in KZN called Umhlab’uyalingana. They believe that through the magic -- you call it black magic, they call it witchcraft -- you are able to send lightning to strike someone. Can you explain that scientifically because it’s something that happens?”

Spread

On October 17th, the video reached the front page of the /r/videos^[5] and /r/rage^[6] subreddits. Following the video's upload several news sites began to comment and critique it such as BusinessTech,^[1] and Times Live.^[2] Many sites pointed to specific excerpts from the video, namely one where one of the students equates Isaac Newton's theory of gravity to witchcraft. Within one week the hashtag gained several hundred tweets including one from well known YouTuber and music critic Anthony Fantano (shown below). On October 16th, the conservative news blog HeatStreet^[3] published an article about the viral video.

Yo, #sciencemustfall! If you don't like the Issac Newton's equations, jump off a building and let gravity put you out of your misery. LOL!
— Succthony Bloodtano (@theneedledrop) October 15, 2016

That same day, South African resident Ryk van Niekerk mocked the movement by tweeting "How can you demand #sciencemustfall if you don't believe in gravity?" (shown below). Within one week, the tweet gained more than 390 likes and 200 retweets.^[7]